The Black Hole (1979)

Director:

Gary Nelson

Writers:

Jeb Rosebrook (story) and
Bob Barbash (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 December 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A journey that begins where everything ends!

Plot:

A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole.

Plot Keywords:

Set In Future | Spaceship | Psychadelic Image | Spaceport | Self Sacrifice

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Maximilian Schell	...	Dr. Hans Reinhardt
Anthony Perkins	...	Dr. Alex Durant
Robert Forster	...	Capt. Dan Holland
Joseph Bottoms	...	Lt. Charles Pizer
Yvette Mimieux	...	Dr. Kate McCrae
Ernest Borgnine	...	Harry Booth
Tom McLoughlin	...	Captain S.T.A.R. (Special Troops Arms Regiment) (as Tommy McLoughlin)
Roddy McDowall	...	V.I.N.CENT. (Vital Information Necessary CENTralized) (voice)
Slim Pickens	...	Bob (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gary Nelson	...	Drone with mask removed (uncredited)

Directed by
Gary Nelson

Writing credits
Jeb Rosebrook		(story) and
Bob Barbash		(story) &
Richard H. Landau		(story) (as Richard Landau)
Jeb Rosebrook		(writer) and
Gerry Day		(writer)

Produced by
Ron Miller	....	producer

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Frank V. Phillips		(as Frank Phillips)

Film Editing by
G. Gregg McLaughlin		(as Gregg McLaughlin)

Production Design by
Peter Ellenshaw

Art Direction by
John B. Mansbridge
Robert T. McCall
Al Roelofs

Set Decoration by
Frank R. McKelvy
Roger M. Shook

Costume Design by
Bill Thomas

Makeup Department
Gloria Montemayor	....	hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
John D. Bloss	....	production manager
Christopher N. Seiter	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Christopher Disney Miller	....	second assistant director (as Chris D. Miller)
Tom McCrory	....	assistant director
Joseph Paul Moore	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Wilbur L. Russell	....	property master

Sound Department
Wayne Allwine	....	sound effects editor (as Wayne A. Allwine)
Barney Cabral	....	supervising adr editor
George Fredrick	....	sound editor
Ben Hendricks	....	sound effects (as Ben F. Hendricks)
Stephen Katz	....	special sound effects
James MacDonald	....	sound effects
Herb Taylor	....	sound supervisor
Bill Wylie	....	sound effects (as William J. Wylie)

Special Effects by
Eric Allard	....	special effects technician
Gary D'Amico	....	special effects
Dorse A. Lanpher	....	special effects animator
Mike Reedy	....	special effects technician
Ken Speed	....	special effects
Hans Metz	....	special effects foreman (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Bob Broughton	....	optical photography coordinator
Art Cruickshank	....	director: miniature photography
Mike Edmonson	....	special effects miniatures
Harrison Ellenshaw	....	matte artist
Harrison Ellenshaw	....	matte effects
Harrison Ellenshaw	....	matte supervisor
Peter Ellenshaw	....	miniature effects creator
Peter Ellenshaw	....	miniature effects supervisor
Constantine Ganakes	....	matte art assistant
Joe Hale	....	animation special effects supervisor
Danny Lee	....	mechanical effects supervisor
Eustace Lycett	....	composite opticals photographer
Eustace Lycett	....	optical photography
David Mattingly	....	matte art assistant
Arthur Miller	....	matte photography
Terence Sanders	....	chief model maker
Terence Sanders	....	miniature mechanical effects
Ed Sekac	....	matte photography

Stunts
Bill Couch	....	stunts
Howard Curtis	....	stunts
Len Glascow	....	stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts
Billy Bob Jackson	....	stunts
Melvin Jones	....	stunts
Katee McClure	....	stunts
Stevie Myers	....	stunts
Terry Nichols	....	stunts
Alan Oliney	....	stunts
Ron Oliney	....	stunts (as Ronald Oliney)
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunts (as Conrad Palmisano)
Regina Parton	....	stunts
Don Pulford	....	stunts
Bobby Sargent	....	stunts (as Bobby Sargeant)
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunt double: Anthony Perkins (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lloyd Ahern II	....	camera operator
Carl Boles	....	gaffer
Dan Delgado	....	lighting technician
Brian L. McCarty	....	video assist operator
Wynn Hammer	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Peter McEvoy	....	set lighting technician (uncredited)

Music Department
Evelyn Kennedy	....	supervising music editor
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Hal Bigger	....	mechanical effects assistant
Ted Kierscey	....	special animated effects
Dorse A. Lanpher	....	special animated effects
George F. McGinnis	....	robots
Barry Seybert	....	graphic artist: opening titles
Dana Winseman	....	video playback services
Thomas Baker	....	main title graphics (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• Buena Vista Distribution Company (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Suomi-Filmi
• Toho-Towa (1980) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Home Video (1981) (UK) (VHS)
• Walt Disney Home Video (1980) (USA) (VHS) (as Walt Disney Home Entertainment)
• Walt Disney Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Pictures (1980) (France) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Buena Vista Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Space Station One (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2004) | UK:A (original rating) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

'Tommy McLoughlin' (STAR) also coordinated for the mimes who play the sentinels and the humanoids. His wife doubled Yvette Mimieux for stunts.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the climactic escape from the Cygnus, the survivors scramble out into the vacuum of space to board the probe ship without any protective suits. Pizer even needs to be rescued from flying away into space, but no one asphyxiates from lack of oxygen. Reportedly, space suits were indeed designed for the sequence, but the cast refused to wear them because of how they looked.

Quotes:

Harry Booth: No sense leaving the story of a lifetime untold, Captain.
Dan Holland: I'm afraid there is, Harry.
[pointing to the black hole]
Dan Holland: And it's staring straight at us right now.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Empire of the Censors (1995) (TV)

A Forgotten Classic

Not only is The Black Hole beautifully made from a technical aspect, it has marvelous performances. Robert Forester (Jackie Brown), Anthony Perkins (Psycho), Ernest Borgnine, Maximillian Schell. It does get a little campy but it is a Disney movie after all and it can be forgiven its attempts at comic relief. This is a very unlikely sort of film for Disney, were it made today it would have been made under the Miramax header rather than Disney, and like another unlikely Disney film, Tron, it is tragically underrated. The special effects and set design are breathtaking, but it is the script which is the best part. The ending is one of the most surreal and haunting in any science fiction film (and especially bold for a Disney film) The characterizations are wonderful and the robots, especially Maximillian (in my book the greatest cinematic robotic villain to date), are unforgettable.